Inspiration of Ayah to Mujaddid Alf Thani: Glad-Tidings of a Boy Named Yahya (19:7)

 بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

والصلاة والسلام على نبيه الامين

The great Reformer, Mujaddid Alf Thānī, Imām Rabbānī, Ahmad Sirhindī رحمة الله عليه received the following Ilhām (inspiration) which is an Āyah of the Qurān:

اِنَّا نُبَشِّرُکَ بِغُلٰمِ ۣاسۡمُہٗ یَحۡیٰی

We give you glad-tidings of a boy, his name is Yahyā

Subsequently, a son was born to Mujaddid Alf Thānī and he named him Muhammad Yahyā (Maqāmāt Imām Rabbānī, p.136)

Mawdudi Called Prophet Joseph a Dictator Like Mussolini معاذ الله

 بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

والصلاة والسلام على نبيه الامين

Commenting on the passage in the Qurān which mentions the prophet Joseph عليه السلام asking the king of Egypt to grant him the portfolio of treasury in the government, Abūl-A’lā Mawdūdī said:

یہ محض وزیر مالیات کے منصب کا مطالبہ نہیں تھا جیسا کہ بعض لوگ سمجھتے ہیں، بلکہ یہ ڈکٹیٹر شپ کا مطالبہ تھا۔ اور اس کے نتیجے میں سیدنا یوسف علیہ السلام کو جو پوزشن حاصل ہوئی وہ قریب قریب وہی پوزشن تھی جو اس وقت اٹلی میں مسولینی کو حاصل ہے

This wasn’t merely a request for the office of the minister of the treasury as some people understand, rather, this was a request for dictatorship. And as a result our master Joseph, peace be upon him, acquired a position that is quite near to the position which currently Mussolini has in Italy (Tafhīmāt, part 2, p.122)

Majlis-e-Ahrar Declared Pakistan 'Palidistan'

 بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

والصلاة والسلام على نبيه الامين

The Majlis-i-Ahrar, a discredited political party active in the Punjab, which uses religion to cloak its nefarious political agenda, actively opposed the creation of Pakistan, a state necessary to protect the Muslims from brute Hindu majoritarianism and bigotry.

In his presidential address given at Kasur on 1^st of December 1941, Ch. Afzal Haq dubbed Pakistan as Palidistan (impure land):

احرار اس پاکستان کو پلیدستان سمجھتے ہیں

The Ahrar considers this Pakistan to be Palidistan (Khutbāt-i-Ahrār, p.83)

Danger of Liberal Religious Movements in Indonesia

 بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

والصلاة والسلام على نبيه الامين

وعلى آله واصحابه اجمعين

A conservative, puritanical and strict approach to Islam is what is most pleasing to Lord Allah. Tragically, the State in many places around the Muslim World is facilitating the imposition of a religious tendency that is the exact opposite. I have written at length on this blog concerning the danger posed by statism and state versions of Islam which are designed to modify Islam so that it is more suitable to the interests and desires of the elites and the irreligious masses. In Indonesia, the religious establishment, namely, Nahdlatul Ulama, gravitates toward a conception of Islam that is far from the ideal. It may be characterized as excessively liberal and modern, meaning it is lax, embracing the dangers of pluralism, democracy, feminism and modernity.

In our time, certain practices and laws associated with Islam have become controversial leading to a culture war. It is observed that dangerous liberal and progressive movements among the Muslims almost universally challenge the institution of veil, gender segregation and the proscription on music.

From the principles of Indonesia’s Nahdlatul Ulama, which is also generally widespread in the East Indies, is tasāmuh which roughly means leniency as opposed to harshness. While gentleness is from the disposition of our Religion in certain matters, it is quite evident that in others, especially the sensitive matters, it is the way of the Prophets and the pious Imams to utilize harshness in admonition.

The spread of sexual immorality in Muslim societies today is certainly rooted in a laxity with regard to observing the veil and modesty, and a total disregard for the institution of gender segregation and the seclusion of ladies. But this is certainly not a new phenomenon, it is the same problem which plagued the children of Israel for which their holy Prophets rebuked them.

Islam Nusantara, the philosophy promoted by the State in Indonesia and by its religious establishment (Nahdlatul Ulama or NU), is against the spirit of orthodox Islam precisely because it is opposed to the sentiment of zeal for Islamic exclusivity and purity, the spirit so gloriously manifested in the activity of the ancient Prophets, and the Reformers and Saints of this Ummah who follow in their footsteps.

The second major religious movement in Indonesia, a sort of rival to the NU, is the so-called Muhammadiyah. These are essentially Salafi modernists, and promote a concept they dub Islam Berkemajuan or a “progressive” approach to Islam. Unlike Islam Nusantara, this concept is not intended for a local context but a global one. Muslims ought to beware of such philosophies, often predicated on the notion of ijtihād. In practical terms, what this means is that many important matters which have already been settled by the early Sunni jurists in terms of law and jurisprudence may be re-evaluated and modified for the modern context. The tendency of those who invoke the necessity of ijtihād in modern times is always toward greater cultural liberalization and laxity, especially a more permissive attitude with respect to the issues of veiling, gender segregation, music, interest, banking, and political activity. In this sense both NU and Muhammadiyah are problematic, indeed dangerous religious movements that are currently dominating the religious landscape of Indonesia. Cultures in the East Indies or the Malay Archipelago are historically somewhat matriarchal. The strictness of veiling and gender segregation, a fundamental aspect of orthodox Islam and still observed in places like Arabia and Afghanistan, is alien to the Malay Archipelago. Rather than aggressively seeking to Islamize their society with an emphasis on the conservative traditions and the strictures of the Sharī’ah, the corrupt religious establishment of this region in the Muslim World is constantly validating the pre-Islamic and even un-Islamic customs and culture in the name of moderation. With the passage of time, as the globe gravitates toward greater cultural liberalization and permissiveness, this corrupt religious establishment, which falsely claims to be moderate and traditional, may even reevaluate its position toward homosexuality and the validity of practising other religions and even worshipping other deities. The holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

‌لَتُنْقَضَنَّ ‌عُرَى ‌الْإِسْلَامِ ‌عُرْوَةً ‌عُرْوَةً فَكُلَّمَا انْتَقَضَتْ عُرْوَةٌ تَشَبَّثَ النَّاسُ بِالَّتِي تَلِيهَا وَأَوَّلُهُنَّ نَقْضًا الْحُكْمُ وَآخِرُهُنَّ الصَّلَاةُ

The bonds of Islam will be undone one by one. Each time one bond is undone, the people will move to the next one (and adhere to that). The first bond to be undone will be the Hukm [rule] and the last one will be the Salāh (Musnad Ahmad)

The meaning of the Hadīth is that the first aspect of Islam that the Muslims will abandon and neglect will be the divinely legislated guidelines and laws related to political administration and governance (which happened with the demise of Khilāfat ar-Rāshidah within thirty years of the Prophet’s passing away from this world) while the last will be the collective abandoning of the five daily prescribed prayers, the most salient Islamic practice.

Become Humiliated Monkeys! (2:65)

 بِسۡمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ

Concerning the violators of the Sabbath among the Israelites, Allāh سبحانه وتعالى says:

وَلَقَدۡ عَلِمۡتُمُ الَّذِیۡنَ اعۡتَدَوۡا مِنۡکُمۡ فِی السَّبۡتِ فَقُلۡنَا لَہُمۡ کُوۡنُوۡا قِرَدَۃً خٰسِئِیۡنَ ﴿ۚ

And surely, you have known the end of those among you, who transgressed in the matter of the Sabbath. So We said to them: Be ye apes, despised

(Juz 1, Sūrah 2, Āyah 65)

Many people believe that Allāh literally transformed a party of Israelites into apes. While this appears to be the most widespread interpretation of the Āyah, and others like it which mention مسخ (metamorphosis), a figurative interpretation of some evil humans becoming swine and apes seems more reasonable and profound. Hence, the great mufassir Mujāhid bin Jabr (d.104 H) from among the Tābi’īn, commented on this Āyah, saying:

‌مُسِخَتْ ‌قُلُوبُهُمْ وَلَمْ يُمْسَخُوا قِرَدَةً وَخَنَازِيرَ وَإِنَّمَا هُوَ مَثَلٌ ضَرَبَهُ اللَّهُ لَهُمْ مِثْلَ الْحِمَارِ يَحْمِلُ أَسْفَارًا

Their hearts were transformed, not that they were [actually] transformed into monkeys and pigs. Indeed, it is a similitude that Allāh presented for them, like the donkey carrying volumes of books (Tafsīr Ibn Abī Hātim, v.1, p.133, #672)

Here sayyidinā Mujāhid رحمه الله referred to the parable mentioned in Sūrat al-Jumu’ah:

مَثَلُ الَّذِیۡنَ حُمِّلُوا التَّوۡرٰٮۃَ ثُمَّ لَمۡ یَحۡمِلُوۡہَا کَمَثَلِ الۡحِمَارِ یَحۡمِلُ اَسۡفَارًا

The likeness of those who were made to bear the Torah, but would not bear it, is as the likeness of an ass carrying a load of books

(Juz 28, Sūrah 62, Āyah 5)

In other words, the transformation of some evil humans into pigs and monkeys means a transformation of their internal characteristics and behavior. Their hearts became like the hearts of apes and swine, as Mujāhid رحمه الله explained. In Arabic linguistics, the word ‘monkey’ derived from the trilateral root ق ر د carries the meaning of ‘to deceive; to subdue, to humiliate’. Thus, the transformation of evil humans into monkeys signifies their becoming subdued and humiliated. Likewise, the word ‘pig’, derived from the quadrilateral root خ ن ز ر carries the meaning of ‘to be rough and crude’, so those among them who were transformed into pigs signifies their roughness and crudeness. This is found in many cultures and almost universally understood that calling someone a pig means he is obscene, shameless, gluttonous, perverted and disgusting. Calling someone a monkey means he is disgraced, humiliated, or ugly.

This interpretation is made clearer in certain Ahādīth of the holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم

أَمَا يَخْشَى أَحَدُكُمْ أَوْ لاَ يَخْشَى أَحَدُكُمْ إِذَا رَفَعَ رَأْسَهُ قَبْلَ الإِمَامِ أَنْ يَجْعَلَ اللَّهُ رَأْسَهُ رَأْسَ حِمَارٍ أَوْ يَجْعَلَ اللَّهُ صُورَتَهُ صُورَةَ حِمَارٍ

Is not the one who raises his head [from prostration and bowing] before the Imām afraid that Allāh will make his head the head of a donkey or that Allāh will make his form the form of a donkey! (Sahīh al-Bukhārī)

To date, there has been no recorded instance of someone’s head or body being literally transformed into that of a donkey’s, indicating that it is a figurative phenomenon, as sadly the phenomenon of ignorant and heedless people raising their head from bowing or prostration before the Imām in Salāh is not uncommon, especially among the astray Shī’ah. In Arabic linguistics, the word donkey is derived from the trilateral root ح م ر which carries the meaning of ‘to be difficult’. In other words, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم described those who raise their heads in Salāh before the Imām as obstinate people.

In another tradition, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم predicted that a party of his Ummah shall consider silk, wine and musical instruments permissible, and that Allāh will transform them into monkeys and pigs:

وَيَمْسَخُ آخَرِينَ قِرَدَةً وَخَنَازِيرَ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ

(Sahīh al-Bukhārī)

يَخْسِفُ اللَّهُ بِهِمُ الأَرْضَ وَيَجْعَلُ مِنْهُمُ الْقِرَدَةَ وَالْخَنَازِيرَ ‏

(Sunan Ibn Mājah)

There have already appeared many Muslims, including those who identify as scholars clothed in the garb of knowledge, who declare music permissible, and who change the name of alcoholic beverages and other intoxicants saying they do not fall in the category of the prohibited khamr. Yet we know of no instance in history in which such people were literally transformed into apes and swine.

Concerning the Qadariyyah, meaning those who deny Qadar (that Allāh has decreed and determined human destiny, and is the Creator of our deeds), they are a sect that appeared quite early on in the history of the Ummah, and it is reported that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said about them:

يَكُونُ فِي هَذِهِ الأُمَّةِ خَسْفٌ أَوْ مَسْخٌ أَوْ قَذْفٌ فِي أَهْلِ الْقَدَرِ

From this Ummah the people of Qadar shall be transformed, swallowed by the Earth, and pelted with stones (Jāmi’ at-Tirmidhī)

Yet there has been no recorded instance in history of innovators from the Qadariyyah, Mu’tazilah, Shī’ah and other sects which deny Qadar being literally transformed into animals.

As a matter of fact, the holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم himself seems to have indicated that the incident of some people being transformed into apes and swine, as mentioned in the holy Qurān, was not literal. It is mentioned that someone asked the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم about those transformations:

فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ الْقِرَدَةُ وَالْخَنَازِيرُ هِيَ مِمَّا مُسِخَ

A man asked: ‘O Messenger of Allāh, what about the monkeys and pigs which were transformed?’

فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏‏ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لَمْ يُهْلِكْ قَوْمًا أَوْ يُعَذِّبْ قَوْمًا فَيَجْعَلَ لَهُمْ نَسْلاً وَإِنَّ الْقِرَدَةَ وَالْخَنَازِيرَ كَانُوا قَبْلَ ذَلِكَ

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم answered: ‘Indeed, Allāh عزّ وجلّ does not destroy a people or punish a people then grant for them progeny. Indeed, monkeys and pigs existed before that.’

(Sahīh Muslim)

The statement that monkeys and pigs existed before the instances of maskh (metamorphosis) mentioned in the holy Qurān is a strong indication that the literal monkeys and pigs from the animal kingdom are a separate category, and those evil people described as monkeys and pigs in the holy Qurān are another category. And Allāh knows best.

In a Hadīth attributed to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, though its authenticity is not established:

عَن أبي أُمَامَة رَضِي الله عَنهُ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُول الله صلى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسلم تكون فِي أمتِي فزعة فَيصير النَّاس ‌إِلَى ‌عُلَمَائهمْ ‌فَإِذا ‌هم ‌قردة ‌وَخَنَازِير

There will be terror and dismay in my Ummah, so when the people turn to their Ulamā’ [they will find] them monkeys and pigs (Nawādir al-Usūl, v.2, p.196)

Hadith: "Prophets are alive in their graves, praying" Is Jesus included?

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

وصلى الله على نبيه الكريم

According to a Hadith narrated by sayyidina Anas bin Malik (radi Allahu anhu) the most holy Prophet (sall Allahu alaihi wasallam) said:

الأَنْبِيَاءُ أَحْيَاءٌ فِي ‌قُبُورِهِمْ يُصَلُّونَ

“The Prophets are alive in their graves, praying” (Musnad al-Bazar, v.13, p.299, #6888; Musnad Abi Ya’la, v.6, p.148, #3425)

The authenticity of this Hadith is hotly contested. Nevertheless, if we assume the Hadith is sound, it is actually a proof that the Messiah Jesus, who was among the Prophets, was not raised alive to Heaven in his earthly body but like all the other Prophets is buried in a grave.

The reality of the life of the Prophets in their graves is a spiritual life in the Hereafter, and not in this worldly realm. The term ‘grave’ here refers to the dimension known as Barzakh, an intermediary state which the soul enters after death but before the Resurrection. It is comparable to the Biblical concept of Sheol.